Spider-Man Homecoming Review – Thwip Thwip The Best Spider-Man Film

We are finally back from the special screening of ‘Homecoming’ sponsored by Oppo. And because of that we’re doing this Spider-Man Homecoming review powered by the Oppo F3; the #SelfieExpert. The film stars Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., Jacob Batalon, Zendaya and Michael Keaton. It is directed by Jon Watts.

Tom Holland reprises .his role as Peter Parker and Spider-Man for this special film which was done in partnership between Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios. The character first made his Marvel Cinematic Universe appearance as a supporting character in Captain America: Civil War where he was recruited by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).

‘Homecoming’ is set two months after Civil War and we even get to see how Peter ends back home after his ‘mission’ in Germany. In this crazy new adventure, Parker encounters a new villain in the form of Adrian Toomes aka The Vulture. Then he also has to contend with high school drama, domestic life with his aunt May and be on Tony Stark’s good side.

I loved Tom Holland as both Peter Parker here. As Peter, he’s pretty much the everyday teenager. He’s got problems with his “career”, he’s struggling with academics and all that and he’s frustrated at the lack of interest coming from both his mentor Iron Man has as well as Happy Hogan (played once again by Jon Favreau).

As Spider-Man, he’s frenetic and quippy and gives us viewers a completely fresh take on the character. For this version of Spider-Man, he got everything right down pat but what we don’t see is his genius intellect being constantly used in his battles. Just like in the comics, his enemies underestimate hit and that’s their biggest mistake.

Michael Keaton as Vulture/ Adrian Toomes made perfect sense both from an acting standpoint and from a narrative point. Gone is the old Vulture that’s a scientist who wants to cure aging. This one is doing what he does for his family. And calling him a vulture actually makes sense too because that’s what he does. I like that twist. Oh and I even loved that surprise twist. What that is, you have to watch the movie to find out.

Big fan of Jacob Batalon’s Ned (Leeds), Peter’s bestfriend and one of his confidantes in this movie. Sure there were some annoying moments for me but generally I’d say Batalon’s performance was great.

Zendaya’s Michelle had a few shining moments here in this movie as well as Liz (played by Laura Harrier). Too bad though that they’re barely in the film.

The action scenes were nice and intense and the final battle between Parker and Toomes was satisfying. The payoff to that scene was twice as delicious to watch to. I want to call it “smart action scenes” now that we’re on to naming stuff up. Spider-Man Homecoming also features great camerawork when it came to specific moments where the baddies hit Spidey; we caught the film via a special screening from Oppo Philippines on 4D and they timed every effect perfectly.

Robert Downey Jr. has a few meaningful scenes here; which is great because there were a lot of worries that this would become Iron Man 3.5. Fortunately for us, that wasn’t the case. Whenever he appears though, it moves things and sways Peter’s action while still being the same Iron Man we all know and love.

Spider-Man Homecoming Review Cons

I didn’t like how little screen time they gave Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May although I do understand how it fits into the narrative. She’s the aunt that’s just there on standby when her nephew needs him. It’s a different dynamic from the other versions of Spider-Man; again borderline fresh on this take.

I didn’t like what they did to the character Flash Thompson who was played by Toni Revolori. I definitely miss the old Flash who actually bullies Peter, not just call him names and act like a dick. The same Flash who ends up becoming Agent Venom.

Didn’t like that they only gave Donald Glover’s Aaron Davis TWO scenes! That’s a travesty right there.

Action scenes were done at night. Makes you want to think that they either tried to save money on computer generated images or that they just stuck with the whole plot. Would have been better if they steadied the camera more and gave more close up shots of the fight, especially that climax battle.

Spider-Man Homecoming Review – Verdict

Despite some small gripes here and there, Spider-Man Homecoming is THE Spider-Man movie for this decade. I still like Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 but Jon Watt’s version is definitely a fresher take on the character. It hits all the right spots for old and cynical Spider-Fans to make them happy with a Spidey film. It also gives the new generation a really good Spider-Man film that feels modern and relevant.

I’m a happy camper here.

9/10

Special thanks to Oppo Philippines and Big Boys Toy Store for the Funko Pop Spider-Man.